Recently the City Council began the task of tweaking the city's pet ordinance to do more to curb the problem of dogs running loose and causing damage to property, injury to people, and even death to other pets.

While in search of information for another column I came across a set of stories carried in the Star Courier during the week of Aug. 5-12, 1903.

I didn't go back to see how it all started, but apparently city officials were combating a problem of loose dogs biting people, probably making some of them sick or worse. I don't know if they called it rabies back then, but there are references to hydrophobia, another name for rabies, and "mad dogs" being a danger to the public.

The answer 111 years ago was muzzles. By Wednesday, Aug. 5, 1903, every dog had to have a muzzle over its mouth or it would "meet with sudden death."

Police officers with clubs and revolvers went about killing every dog they found not properly muzzled.

A story on the front page Wednesday, Aug. 5 indicated a brisk demand for muzzles. "Haven't done anything but make muzzles since seven o'clock," one merchant said. "Yes, they bought us out last night but we have ordered 10 dozen more to be here this afternoon," said another. The supply of local hardware dealers dwindled to almost nothing Tuesday night and telegrams were hurried off to Chicago asking that many dozens of the protectors be sent down by express. In the meantime, harness shops were being taxed to furnish the combination of straps and buckles demanded by the law.

City Marshall Stanton told the Star Courier Wednesday morning that dogs would have two days of grace, but by Friday morning, "all dogs running at large without muzzles would meet with sudden death." Police officers were given strict orders to do away with all such canines, "and the city will doubtless be rid of many of the curs who prowl about the streets in the daytime and at night participate in concerts that make sleep impossible."

There were several kinds of muzzles permitted, each described in the paper. They had to be so designed that the dog could drink but not get his jaws open far enough to bite.

Prices ranged from a quarter to 50 cents.

There is a rather sad story of "Babe," the "handsome coach dog belonging to Dr. Heflin," the Kewanee representative on the committee setting up the Cannonball Trail and undoubtedly a leading citizen. "Babe" was shot and killed the previous Monday night on a farm near Osceola. Hefliln and police had spent three days looking in every direction for the dog "whose actions were due either to poisoning or madness."

The dog had attacked and nearly killed a smaller dog who, after a few days, began "acting in a peculiar way."

Page 2 of 3 - Finally, Heflin received a telephone call from the farmer stating he had discovered the dog in his chicken coop about 11 o'clock Monday night "and had brought him to earth with a shotgun."

Monday's banner headline read "Thinning out the dogs."

Two canines "were given through passes to the 'happy hunting grounds.'" Officer Buckingham found a "yellow dog" going down the alley back of Whiskey Row in search of refreshments Sunday afternoon and the animal “was brought down by the officer's club." A second "member of the hoi polloi was likewise dispensed of this morning," the paper reported.

Several dogs spotted without muzzles on Sunday caught a break as officers could not get within clubbing distance and "did not wish to break the Sabbath calm by revolver shots."

By Wednesday, Aug. 12, 14 dogs caught roaming the streets without muzzles were "bagged" by police in less than two days. "Special Officer Pete Miller, who is a dead shot, brought the majority of the dogs to earth with his double barreled shotgun," a story read. "Two men are scouring the suburbs this afternoon and every dog running at large without a muzzle will pay the penalty. Marshal Stanton says that the notice that has been given is entirely sufficient and that he will enforce the law to the letter."

Today, all dogs are required to have a license and rabies vaccination tags.

I wondered when it was that we came out of the club-and-revolver ways of dealing with rabid dogs and asked several oldtimers if they remembered when they started requiring dogs to be vaccinated every year for rabies.

I found a metal 1920 Henry County dog license (No. 557) in some of my grandfather's things but there was nothing on it about rabies.

One oldtimer told me dog licenses have long been required but not rabies vaccination. According to one source I found, it looks like mandatory vaccination of dogs for rabies began in the 1930s.

In the old days a portion of the license fees went into a fund administered by the county to reimburse farmers for livestock killed by roaming or rabid dogs. If a dog or dogs killed your sheep, pigs or calves, you could turn in a bill and would be paid so much per loss.

I don't know how long after 1903 rabid dogs were purged by mass killings, a practice that dated back to ancient times, but eventually vaccines were developed to protect dogs from contracting the virus from other animals as well as treat humans bitten by dogs, cats, bats, rats and other infected animals. It was always important to have our farm dog vaccinated once a year for rabies because she often did battle with raccoons, groundhogs, and other wild animals that carried the disease. Of course, there is now a painful series of shots for a human unlucky enough to be bitten by a animal that may or may not have rabies.

Page 3 of 3 - Luckily, rabies is not the biggest part of our problem in Kewanee, although dogs running loose are more likely to become infected and spread the disease.

At least we've put away the clubs and shotguns and may find the best solution these days is to put the muzzles on the owners.